Anemia in swimmers: fact or fiction? Study of hematologic and iron status in male and female top-level swimmers.

The aim of the project was to examine the hematologic and iron status of a group of top-level male and female swimmers compared with a control group composed of fit, physically active subjects. The following parameters were examined: red blood cells (RBC), hemoglobin concentration (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), serum iron (S I), total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), transferrin saturation (Sat), and serum ferritin concentration (S F). The male swimmers had higher values than the control men for RBC (5364 vs. 5163, P less than .01), Hb (15.4 vs 14.8, P less than .01), Hct (49 vs 46.6, P less than .01), TIBC (341 vs 297, P less than .001), and S I (107 vs 86.3, P less than .01). The female swimmers had higher values than the control women for MCV (91.2 vs 88.5, P less than .01), Hb (14 vs 12.8, P less than .01), Hct (44.2 vs 40.4, P less than .001), S F (58.65 vs 42.17, P less than .01), S I (106 vs 75.6, P less than .01), and TIBC (336 vs 278, P less than .001). The differences between men and women were smaller between the men and women of the swimmers group with respect to the men and women of the control group, for Hb: 15.4 vs 14 (P less than .01) and 14.8 vs 12.8 (P less than .001) and S F: 97.24 vs 58.65 (P less than .001) and 99.89 vs 42.17 (P less than .001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)